


Uncomfortable Conversations

by samariumwriting



Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Past Character Death, Path of Radiance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-20 20:52:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18532957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samariumwriting/pseuds/samariumwriting
Summary: An alternate version of a first conversation/C support between Soren and Stefan - Soren approaches Stefan, wishing to find out why on earth a desert hermit has any business with their group.





	Uncomfortable Conversations

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short piece for the FE Compendium prompt 'recruiting a unit' :) it also nicely coincides with PoR's 14th birthday, so happy birthday to it!

Soren could only stare at the man who’d literally just popped out of the sand in front of them. First they were recruiting anyone the Gallians shoved at them, and now a complete nutter who had a fancy sword? All he needed was a quick chat with Ike, apparently, and then he was all cleared to serve with them.

It was nothing short of irresponsible, of course, because they’d been worried about traitors, and they felt like they’d been tricked by Begnion over this series of events, and now they were just picking up any old person who claimed they wanted to support the cause.

Soren’s misgivings only increased when he actually got the opportunity to talk to the man. Never mind that he was absolutely huge and made Soren feel even smaller than normal; he was used to that, in a mercenary company full of men who did nothing but train their bodies. But something about Stefan felt different. Something felt off.

“Why are you here?” he asked, not hiding the suspicion he felt. There was no point in hiding it, after all. He felt no need to disguise his misgivings about this decision, and Stefan should know that.

“It took my fancy,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to speak to laguz of Gallia. I imagine you felt the same way, meeting some that had cause to speak to you.”

Soren narrowed his eyes at the man. Of course, his brand was no secret. But it had been many, many years since he’d encountered someone who had recognised it as what it was. “I have little business with our laguz allies,” he said. “If you wished to speak to them, you’d be better off going directly to them, or speaking to Ike.”

“I don’t have any business with them either,” Stefan said. “Just idle curiosity, and personal questions I want answered. I’m only surprised you haven’t asked the same questions.”

Goddess, this man was persistent. But he was also telling Soren exactly what he wanted out of joining their group, which was what he wanted to know. “So you’re here for personal reasons,” he said. “Who’s to say that those personal reasons will keep you on our side?”

“I have a keen and non-hostile interest in finding out about laguz,” Stefan said. “There would be no benefit for me, a hermit from Begnion, in siding with Daein. I would much rather protect my own, and people like Ike.”

Stefan’s stare was piercing, and aggravating. This was not a conversation Soren had with anyone. He hadn’t even had it with Ike, not yet, and even Greil had chosen never to mention it so directly, even though he’d clearly known. “Ike has convictions worth fighting for,” he said. He didn’t think that gave too much away. It didn’t matter to Soren, of course, what Ike was fighting for. But it was good to have people on their side.

“I see you’re not fond of the conversation at hand,” Stefan said. What a great observation. Soren had no idea how he could have guessed that, other than his obvious discomfort and deflection right from the beginning. “You were the one who sought me out, however.”

“Well, I came to you to have the conversation about your motives. Not one about your heritage. Perhaps it surprises you, but I don’t actually care where you come from.”

“And not all of us have the same outlook on the importance of kinship, clearly,” Stefan replied. Soren wanted nothing more than to be rid of this conversation. It had turned into something he didn’t want to talk about at all, and he’d barely even managed to get the information he wanted from the man, despite the fact that he was entirely too chatty.

“We certainly do not,” Soren said. “I have no kinship with a stranger who pops out of the sand, observes our allies, and offers to train our commander in the sword. That is all you have done to or for us.”

“I think I get the message,” Stefan said. “I’ll leave you be, young tactician. If the fancy ever strikes you to speak about your heritage, or your view on kinship happens to change, I’ll be around.” He waved, and turned his back to Soren, walking in the direction of the courtyard the Begnion pegasus knights used for training; a few members of their group were known to frequent it, and Stefan was probably looking for a more communicative conversation partner.

-

“So, what do you think?” Ike asked that evening, as they sat together in Ike’s room, papers all over his desk. “Should we let Stefan stay on?”

Soren paused for a moment. The answer was obvious, really, because Stefan was talented, had much-needed experience, and didn’t seem to hold too much of anything against the laguz. But he still had his misgivings. “We should,” he said. His misgivings were purely personal.

Stefan surely understood that the information on his heritage was a secret. Maybe it was obvious to him, but Soren hoped that he had enough tact to understand that not everyone had the same views as him. Actually, he probably shouldn’t be relying on tact from the person who spends time burying himself in sand and jumping out at strangers.

“You spoke to him, then?” Ike asked. Soren nodded. He considered, for a moment, telling Ike about their conversation. But he couldn’t risk Ike prying just a little too much. He wasn’t ready for that conversation, not yet at least.

“He’s an odd one,” he said, and Ike laughed.

“Is there anyone in our whole mercenary group who isn’t?” he asked.

“Fair enough,” Soren said with a chuckle. “I’m sure he’ll fit right in. He’s interested in the laguz, as well, but I don’t see him causing any problems as such on that front. He phrased it as curiosity rather than any kind of antagonism.”

“That’s good,” Ike said. He seemed satisfied by that, adding Stefan’s name to their list of forces. Soren had done that record in the past, but Ike had specifically asked him if he could handle it a little more as commander, because he wanted to know his troops. His records on their recruitments perhaps weren’t as thorough as Soren’s, but they had a personal touch unique to Ike’s outlook. “Goddess, how much do we need to pay an experienced swordsman like him?”

“Somehow I don’t think he views mercenary work as a career,” Soren said. No, he was definitely far more occupied by...whatever involved his observation of people in the desert. He had a goal, and was up to something for sure, but Soren hadn’t pried into that. All the probing he’d attempted had been met in kind, after all, and if he got too close to Stefan’s full story...well, the conversation had been cut short, anyway. It was irrelevant for now.

“We still have to pay him, Soren!” Ike objected.

“I didn’t say we didn’t have to,” he said, raising an eyebrow. Ike just smiled fondly at him.

“You implied it,” he said. “I don’t know how you do all these calculations, anyway. Can I leave that to you?”

“Of course,” he said. He didn’t think Stefan was in this for the money, which probably made his place in their group a little more secure. With a long campaign into Daein ahead of them, they probably wouldn’t have much to spare.

“Great,” Ike said. “Business aside, it’s good to be getting so many people on board recently. I know you bemoan the numbers, but it’s nice to have support from people who aren’t just loyal because of my father.”

Soren nodded. “You’re becoming a great commander,” he said. “People like you.”

Ike rubbed the back of his neck. His modesty was nothing other than endearing. Surely he’d noticed by now that people really did like him. It wasn’t about loyalty to Ike’s father. That kind of loyalty didn’t tend to hold in a seemingly unwinnable war, far away from the place they’d fought alongside Greil. And it didn’t apply at all to people like Stefan. “Thanks, Soren,” he said. “It’s only because of support from people like you.”

Ike’s words couldn’t help but make Soren smile. Talking with Ike like this every evening really did make him feel like he belonged here, in a way he’d never really belonged anywhere before.

Stefan had no idea about what kinship meant to him, not really. The kinship he had was the connection he shared with Ike. One day, maybe soon, that connection would even overcome the distance between them, the secret Soren was hiding. Soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! :) if you have any thoughts, please leave a comment and let me know.


End file.
